Factors Contributing to Learners’ Autonomy in EFL Reading

This study aims to discover factors that assist learners develop their autonomy in EFL reading. The approach employed is qualitative involving EFL learners in an English Department of the Faculty of Cultural Studies, Brawijaya University Malang. There are two stages in the study: the subject selection stage intended to gain potential subjects and the main study intended to find the answer of the research questions. The findings of the study show that the autonomy of EFL learners in reading is influenced by 14 internal and 14 external factors. These factors appear to happen naturally. It seemed that autonomy in reading is subconscious and has been gained by the subjects gradually since childhood. Moreover, autonomy in EFL reading is presumed to be universal as it is found in a collectivist culture such as the one in Indonesia. Based on the findings, suggestions are proposed and addressed to Reading lecturers, parents and the faculty representing the goverment. Because the factors seem to occur before they study at a university, the suggestions are also addressed to teachers and schools.